Bend Studio Dev Says 'We Still Plan on Creating Cool S**t' After Sony Live Service Cancelation

The developer behind Days Gone, Bend Studio, remains committed to creating innovative content despite Sony's recent cancellation of their unannounced live-service game. Last week, Sony pulled the plug on two unannounced live-service projects, one from Bend Studio and another from Bluepoint Games, the latter rumored to be a live-service God of War game according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier. Although the specifics of Bend Studio's canceled game remain undisclosed, a Sony spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg that neither studio would shut down and that they would collaborate on future projects.

Sony's push into live-service games has faced significant challenges. While Helldivers 2 by Arrowhead achieved massive success, selling 12 million copies in just 12 weeks to become the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, other efforts have faltered. Sony's Concord stands out as a major disappointment, lasting only a few weeks due to low player engagement before being discontinued entirely. This follows the earlier cancellation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us multiplayer game. Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida recently expressed that he would have opposed Sony's live-service strategy if he were still in a leadership role.

Bend Studio's community manager, Kevin McAllister, took to Twitter to reassure fans, stating, "Thanks for the love and support everyone, especially to those that have reached out. P.S. We still plan on creating cool shit." This message comes after the studio's last release, Days Gone, which debuted on PlayStation 4 in 2019 and later on PC in 2021.

In a recent financial call, Sony's president, COO, and CFO, Hiroki Totoki, discussed the lessons learned from both Helldivers 2 and Concord. Totoki acknowledged the need for earlier and more rigorous development checkpoints, such as user testing and internal evaluations, which could have potentially saved Concord from its fate. He also highlighted Sony's "siloed organization" and the timing of Concord's release, which coincided with the successful launch of Black Myth: Wukong, suggesting that better timing and cross-departmental collaboration could improve outcomes.

Sony's senior vice president for finance and IR, Sadahiko Hayakawa, also compared the launches of Helldivers 2 and Concord during the same call, emphasizing the intention to share the gleaned insights across Sony's studios. The focus is on enhancing development management and post-launch content strategies to bolster their game portfolio, balancing proven single-player IPs with riskier live-service ventures.

Looking ahead, several PlayStation live-service projects are still in development, including Marathon by Bungie, Horizon Online by Guerrilla, and Fairgame$ by Haven Studio.